MiLB Notebook: Strider returns, Anthony shows off power, Rincones Jr continues impressive stretch

Laura Wolff - Charlotte Knights

Minor League baseball is officially back after the start of Triple-A action this past weekend.

While the Double-A, High-A, and Low-A seasons don’t kick off until APRIL 4th, there were plenty of story lines from around the International and Pacific Coast Leagues.

Spencer Strider Returns

Strider underwent elbow surgery on April 12, 2024 when he had an internal brace inserted in his pitching elbow. Less than a year later, he returned to pro ball for his first competitive outing on Saturday.

The former all star threw three innings for the Gwinnett Braves in Charlotte and struck out six batters. He generated 16 swings and misses, which was good for a 48.5 Whiff%. That means batters swung and missed at almost 50% of the pitcher Strider threw during his three innings of work.

Via @TJStats on Twitter/X

While he did already throw four innings for the Braves in Spring Training action, this outing provides a huge stepping stone for Strider to make his way back to Atlanta’s rotation in the early part of the season.

Roman Anthony Shows Off Power

Tayla Bolduc

Are we really surprised by anything that Roman Anthony does anymore? If the 20-year-old top prospect doesn’t have everyone’s attention by now, I am not sure if we are watching the same game.

Anthony had one of the best games in his short Triple-A tenure on Sunday when he belted two home runs against the Syracuse Mets.

His first home run carried a casual 412-foot blast over the Worcester wall in right field that was clocked at 109.6 MPH off the bat. His second home run of the day was an opposite side shot to left field that traveled 364 feet and was clocked at 106.4 MPH off the bat.

Anthony carried a .932 OPS over 32 games in Triple-A last season and is already off to a hot start in 2025.

Gabriel Rincones Jr Continues Impressive Stretch

Amy Shortell/The Morning Call

One of the hottest starts during Spring Training belonged to Gabriel Rincones Jr of the Philadelphia Phillies.

While he cooled off a bit as camp went on, the 24-year-old still carried a .988 OPS over the 15 games he got into. Rincones Jr has started off his Triple-A tenure with three hits in his first two games. His two hits that came on Saturday came off the bat at 111.6 & 107.1 MPH.

Rincones Jr showed off his promised during his time in big league camp and it will be interesting to see how he performs in Lehigh Valley early in the season.

Honorable Mentions

Carson Seymour: The 26-year-old started opening day for Sacramento and threw four scorless innings. The right-hander struck out eight batters and produced 14 swings and misses.

Kyle Teel: Nobody is off to a hotter start in Triple-A than Teel who is 6-12 with 2 HR’s and 9 RBI’s. The White Sox are not expected to be anywhere near the playoffs this year, so it should be only a matter of time until the 23-year-old makes his MLB debut.